Victorian police in the Eureka Rebellion

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This article is part of a series on the

Eureka Rebellion

Eureka Stockade Riot by John Black Henderson (1854)

* Timeline
* Military leaders
* Siege

Origins

* Australian gold rushes
* Chartism
* Revolutions of 1848
* Thomas Hiscock
* Victorian gold rush

The Eureka Rebellion

* Anti-Gold Licence Association
* Ballarat Reform League
* Bendigo Petition
* British army in the Eureka Rebellion
* Charles La Trobe
* Charles Pasley (engineer)
* Edward Thonen
* Eureka Flag
* Eureka Stockade (fortification)
* Forest Creek Monster Meeting
* Fredrick Vern
* John Foster (Australian politician)
* Henry Ross
* James Scobie
* John Basson Humffray
* John King (police officer)
* List of Eureka Stockade defenders
* Miner's licence
* Peter Lalor
* Pikeman's dog
* Robert Nickle (British Army officer)
* Robert William Rede
* Captain Henry Christopher Wise
* Sir Charles Hotham
* Suffolk Regiment
* Vexillology of the Eureka Rebellion
* Victorian police in the Eureka Rebellion
* William Edward Atherden
* William Wright (Australian politician)
* 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot

High treason trials

* Archibald Michie
* Butler Cole Aspinall
* Henry Samuel Chapman
* Henry Seekamp
* John Joseph (rebel)
* John Manning (journalist)
* Raffaello Carboni
* Sir Redmond Barry
* William à Beckett
* William Stawell
* 1855 Victorian high treason trials

Legacy

* Australian nationalism
* Eureka Jack Mystery
* Eureka Rebellion in popular culture
* Eureka Stockade Memorial Park
* Eureka Stockade Monument
* The Eureka Stockade (1855 novel)
* Eureka Stockade (1907 film)
* Eureka Stockade (1949 film)
* Eureka Stockade (miniseries)
* Charles Doudiet
* William Bramwell Withers
* Len Fox

Australia portal

* v
* t
* e

Charles Doudiet's sketch of the burning of Bentley's Hotel, entitled Eureka Riot 17th October (1854) The Eureka Flag fragments donated by the family of Constable John King to the Art Gallery of Ballarat Eureka Stockade Riot by J.B. Henderson (1854)

The Victorian colonial police force of the 1850s operated as an armed paramilitary gendarmerie where troopers and police were garrisoned at central locations, such as the government camp in Ballarat, and there was no interaction with the civilian population. To cope with the expansion of the mining industry, the Victorian government resorted to recruiting at least 130 former convicts from Tasmania who were prone to brutal means. They would get a fifty per cent commission from all fines imposed on unlicensed miners and sly grog sellers. Plainclothes officers enforced prohibition, and those involved in the illegal sale of alcohol were initially handed 50-pound fines. There was no profit for police from subsequent offences, that were instead punishable by months of hard labour. This led to the corrupt practice of police demanding blackmail of 5 pounds from repeat offenders.[1][2][3] By January 1853, there were 230 mounted police throughout Victoria. By 1855, the number had risen to 485, including nine mounted detectives.[4]

## Burning of the Eureka Hotel

[edit]

In October 1854, the murder of gold miner James Scobie outside the Eureka Hotel in Ballarat, along with the prosecution of Johannes Gregorius, was the beginning of the end for those opposed to physical force in the mining tax protest movement. A discredited colonial inquest found no evidence of culpability by the Bentley Hotel owners for the fatal injuries amid allegations that Magistrate D'Ewes had a conflict of interest presiding over a case involving the prosecution of Bentley, said to be a friend and indebted business partner.[5][6]

Gregorius, a physically disabled servant who worked for Father Smyth of St Alipius chapel, was subjected to police brutality and false arrest for licence evasion, even though he was exempt from the requirement.[7] On 15 October, a mass meeting of predominantly Catholic miners took place on Bakery Hill in protest over the treatment of Gregorius. Two days later, amid the uproar over the acquittal, a meeting of approximately 10,000 men occurred near the Eureka Hotel in protest. Gold receiver John Green initially tried to read the riot act but was too over-awed. The hotel was set alight as Rede was pelted with eggs. The available security forces were unable to restore order.[8][9]

Foot police reinforcements arrived in Ballarat on 19 October 1854, with a further detachment of the 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot a few days behind. On 28 November, the 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot arrived to reinforce the government camp in Ballarat. By the beginning of December, the police contingent at Ballarat had been surpassed by the number of soldiers from the 12th and 40th regiments.[10][11] The strength of the various units in the government camp was: 40th regiment (infantry): 87 men; 40th regiment (mounted): 30 men; 12th regiment (infantry): 65 men; mounted police: 70 men; and the foot police: 24 men.[12]

## Battle of the Eureka Stockade

[edit]

There were no known casualties among the Victorian police contingent who led the way over the top as the forlorn hope in a bayonet charge at the Eureka Stockade. George Webster, the chief assistant civil commissary and magistrate, testified in the 1855 Victorian high treason trials that upon entering the stockade, the besieging forces "immediately made towards the flag, and the police pulled down the flag".[13] John King testified, "I took their flag, the southern cross, down – the same flag as now produced."[14] In his report dated 14 December 1854, Captain John Thomas mentioned "the fact of the Flag belonging to the Insurgents (which had been nailed to the flagstaff) being captured by Constable King of the Force".[15] King had volunteered for the honour while the battle was still raging.[16] W. Bourke, a miner residing about 250 yards from the stockade, recalled that: "The police negotiated the wall of the Stockade on the south-west, and I then saw a policeman climb the flag pole. When up about 12 or 14 feet the pole broke, and he came down with a run".[17]

## List of notable police officers in the Eureka Rebellion

[edit]

### Inspectors

[edit]

| Name  | Period of service in the rank, promotions and previous military experience. Termination of service  | Commentary

|
|
|

| Henry Foster  | Foster was a police inspector in Ballarat.[18] | —

### Senior sub inspectors

[edit]

Mounted police

| Name  | Period of service in the rank, promotions and previous military experience. Termination of service  | Commentary

|
|
|

| Thomas Langley  | Langley was a senior sub-inspector of the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade.[19] | He was involved in the arrest of Timothy Hayes at 2:30 am on the day of the battle about 300 yards away from the stockade. He testified at the committal hearings of Hayes and John Joseph. Langley then appeared in the high treason trials, where Hayes was one of the defendants.[19]

### Sub inspectors

[edit]

Foot police

| Name  | Period of service in the rank, promotions and previous military experience. Termination of service  | Commentary

|
|
|

| Charles Jeffreys Carter  | Carter was a sub-inspector and served with the foot police at the Eureka Stockade on 3 December 1854.[20] |
| Samuel Stackpole Furnell  | Furnell was a sub-inspector and served with the foot police at the Eureka Stockade on 3 December 1854.[21] |
| John Sadlier  | Sadlier was a sub-inspector of police at Ballarat in 1854.[22] | In his 1898 memoirs, he recalls being at the police headquarters in Flinders Street, Melbourne, on the day of the battle. Sadlier recalls his concern as small crowds gathered nearby as news of the armed uprising reached the capital. He was involved in the hunt for the Kelly gang in 1878-1880. As a police superintendent, Sadlier was in command for part of the siege at Glenrowan, where Ned Kelly was captured.[22]
| Maurice Frederick Ximenes  | Ximenes was a sub-inspector with the police at the Eureka Stockade.[23] | He was present at the burning of the Eureka Hotel. He ordered some of his subordinates to hide inside the hotel and lent his horse to John Bentley so he could flee the scene. On 30 November 1854, Ximenes led the final provocative licence inspection four days before the fall of the Eureka Stockade. Inspector Henry Foster said it would be dangerous for Ximenes to be "seen alone on the diggings". John Sadleir wrote that Ximenes was also less than popular in the government camp. On one occasion, he went a few hundred yards from his tent, and when he returned, the sentry asked for the password, which Ximenes did not know. When the sentry persisted, Ximenes ran into his tent and drove his bayonet into a nearby tent pole behind him. Sadlier states, "it was all a bit of spite, but the police officer took good care in the future to learn the password.[23]

Mounted police

| Name  | Period of service in the rank, promotions and previous military experience. Termination of service  | Commentary

|
|
|

| Hussey Chomley  | Chomley was a sub-inspector and second in command of a police detachment kept in reserve at the Eureka Stockade on 3 December 1854.[24] | —
| Ladislaus Kossak  | Kossak was a police sub-inspector at the Eureka Stockade.[25] | He commanded the 70 Victorian police alongside Samuel Furnell, Thomas Langley, and Hussey Chomley during the battle.[25]
| James Langley  | Langley was a sub-inspector with the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade.[26][27] | —

### Lieutenants

[edit]

Mounted police

| Name  | Period of service in the rank, promotions and previous military experience. Termination of service  | Commentary

|
|
|

| Gerald De Courcy Hamilton  | Hamilton was a lieutenant and adjutant of the gold-mounted police in Ballarat at the time of the battle.[28] |

### Sergeant majors

[edit]

Foot police

| Name  | Period of service in the rank, promotions and previous military experience. Termination of service  | Commentary

|
|
|

| Robert Milne  | Milne was a sergeant major with the foot police at Ballarat in October and November 1854.[29] | He was suspected of accepting bribes from sly grog sellers on the goldfields. It was resolved at a meeting of the Ballarat Reform League that Milne be removed on the grounds that he had perjured himself before the board of enquiry into the burning of the Eureka Hotel and the death of James Scobie. He was the fourth witness to appear on 3 November 1854. A week later, Milne was recalled to clarify a few matters. Lieutenant Governor Charles Hotham dismissed him on 20 November 1854.[29]

### Sergeants

[edit]

Mounted police

| Name  | Period of service in the rank, promotions and previous military experience. Termination of service  | Commentary

|
|
|

| Michael Lawler  | Lawler was a sergeant with the mounted police at the Eureka Stockade.[30] | He was present during the burning of Bentley's Hotel on 17 October 1854, later giving testimony implicating Henry Westoby. Lawler charged the flank of the stockade, and it is believed that he shot and wounded Peter Lalor.[30]

## See also

[edit]

* British army in the Eureka Rebellion
* List of Eureka Stockade defenders

## Notes

[edit]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Clark 1987, p. 67. sfn error: no target: CITEREFClark1987 (help)
2. ^ Barnard 1962, p. 260. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBarnard1962 (help)
3. ^ "Alcohol on the Goldfields". Sovereign Hill. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
4. ^ Blake 2009, p. 75. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBlake2009 (help)
5. ^ Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 151.
6. ^ Carboni 1855, pp. 39–40. sfn error: no target: CITEREFCarboni1855 (help)
7. ^ Carboni 1855, pp. 38–39. sfn error: no target: CITEREFCarboni1855 (help)
8. ^ MacFarlane 1995, pp. 192–193. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMacFarlane1995 (help)
9. ^ Bate 1978, p. 59. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBate1978 (help)
10. ^ Thomas, John Wellesley (3 December 1854). Captain Thomas reports on the attack on the Eureka Stockade to the Major Adjutant General (Report). Public Record Office Victoria. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
11. ^ "SERIOUS RIOT AT BALLAARAT". The Argus. No. 2357\. Melbourne. 28 November 1854. p. 4. Retrieved 13 January 2023 - via National Library of Australia.
12. ^ Withers 1999, p. 111. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWithers1999 (help)
13. ^ The Queen v Joseph and others, 35 (Supreme Court of Victoria 1855).
14. ^ "Continuation of the State Trials". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. 5 March 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 17 November 2020 - via Trove.
15. ^ Thomas, John Wellesley (14 December 1854). Capt. Thomas' report – Flag captured (Report). Colonial Secretary's Office. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2024 - via Public Record Office Victoria.
16. ^ FitzSimons 2012, p. 477. sfn error: no target: CITEREFFitzSimons2012 (help)
17. ^ Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, pp. 66–67.
18. ^ Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 209.
19. ^ a b Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 323.
20. ^ Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, pp. 107–108.
21. ^ Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, pp. 212–213.
22. ^ a b Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 458.
23. ^ a b Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 556.
24. ^ Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, pp. 114–115.
25. ^ a b Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, pp. 313–314.
26. ^ https://eurekapedia.org/James_Langley
27. ^ Oakleigh Leader, 15 December 1894.
28. ^ Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, pp. 245–246.
29. ^ a b Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 377.
30. ^ a b Corfield, Wickham & Gervasoni 2004, p. 326.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Corfield, Justin; Wickham, Dorothy; Gervasoni, Clare (2004). The Eureka Encyclopedia. Ballarat: Ballarat Heritage Services. ISBN 978-1-87-647861-2.

* v
* t
* e

Battle of the Eureka Stockade

Siege|

* Eureka Stockade (fortification)
* Eureka Flag
* John King (police officer)
* Pikeman's dog
* 1855 Victorian high treason trials

Rebel garrison|

* Peter Lalor
* Henry Ross
* Edward Thonen
* John Manning
* Frederick Vern
* List of Eureka Stockade defenders

Military and police|

* Charles Hotham
* Robert Nickle
* Robert William Rede
* John Wellesley Thomas
* Charles Pasley
* Henry Christopher Wise
* British army in the Eureka Rebellion
* Victorian police in the Eureka Rebellion

Last known survivors|

* William Edward Atherden

Legacy|

* Raffaello Carboni
* The Eureka Stockade (1855 novel)
* Eureka Stockade (1907 film)
* Eureka Stockade (1949 film)
* Eureka Stockade (miniseries)
* Eureka Stockade Monument
* Eureka Stockade Memorial Park
* Eureka Jack Mystery
* Charles Doudiet
* Eureka Rebellion in popular culture

See also|

* Eureka Rebellion
* Vexillology of the Eureka Rebellion
* Timeline of the Eureka Rebellion
* Bibliography of the Eureka Rebellion

* v
* t
* e

People of the Eureka Rebellion

Rebels|

* Peter Lalor
* Henry Ross
* Raffaello Carboni
* Frederick Vern
* Edward Thonen
* John Manning
* William Edward Atherden
* List of Eureka Stockade defenders

Government officials|

* Charles La Trobe
* Charles Hotham
* John Foster
* William Stawell
* Robert William Rede
* William Wright

Military and police|

* Robert Nickle
* John Wellesley Thomas
* Charles Pasley
* Henry Christopher Wise
* John King
* Victorian police in the Eureka Rebellion

Other miners and civilians|

* Charles Doudiet
* James Scobie
* John Basson Humffray
* Henry Seekamp

See also|

* Eureka Rebellion
* Timeline of the Eureka Rebellion
* Bibliography of the Eureka Rebellion

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